What's My Name Again?
by Lexi Elric
Summary: After hitting his head due to a quarrel with Envy, Ed is left with no memory of who he was. Nor does he know that the people that supposedly saved his life, the homunculi, are evil. How are Roy and Al going to trigger his memories? Rated T for swearing
1. Prologue

**Enjoy! Do not forget to review!**

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><p>"SHUT UP COLONEL BASTARD!"<p>

The shout was heard all through the Central Command Center. Almost every head of the busy woking soliders looked up at the disturbance in question. Mondays were normally quiet, so this was definately out of the ordinary. Many of the people questioned where the shout had come from, some decided to push it away and ignore it. That would be somewhat difficult though. Because, you see, Edward Elric wasn't the type to be ignored...

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><p><em>Human kind cannot gain anything<em>

_without giving something in return._

_To obtain,_

_something of eaqual value must be lost._

_That is alchemy's first law of Eaquivilant Exchange._

_In those days, we truely believed that to be the world's_

_one and only truth..._

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><p>Roy Mustang sighed and rubbed his temple. The furious blonde alchemist before him was triggering a headache. Sometimes the Flame Alchemist really wished that Ed couldn't talk. It would make things so much more peaceful when he handed in his report.<p>

"Edward..." the annoyed colonel tried again to silence his irritating subordinate. "For the tenth time, I was referring to the size of the town, not your height."

The blonde alchemist only ignored him and continued his rants. "I KNOW WHAT YOU MEANT COLONEL BASTARD!"

This was really embarrassing. What would the higher ups think if they say the famous Flame Alchemist arguing with his subordinate? No. A mere child? They would surely tease and taunt him. Call the poor man names such as "Colonel Babysitter" or worse... "A Parent". That last thought made a shiver run down his spine. Roy would certainly kill himself if he had to father this runt. He never minded his brother, Alphonse, but Ed was a whole different storty. He suddenly felt bad for the mother who was forced to raise him. Although, Ed probably wasn't as bad then, than he is now.

Roy sighed yet again when he realized the blonde was still going on with his rant. "-YOU SLACK-JAWED, TERD-EATING, WASTE OF AIR, MURDERING ASSHOLE!" Mustang perked his head up when he noticed it was finally over.

"Are you done Fullmetal?" he asked. Edward glared daggers at his superior officer and sucked in an insult. Roy could tell he was trying not to jump over the desk and attempt tearing him to shreds. But they both knew how the quarrel would end. With his fancy ignition gloves, the colonel would most definately scortch him. Sure he would feel bad afterwards, but the fact that Edward knew he could control fire was enough of a warning.

Ed sulked for a moment, pouting like a child before muttering, "Yeah... Whatever..."

Shuffling some papers on his desk, Roy cleared his throat. "I apologize for the false lead. Sadly, I have no more new information regarding the philosiphers stone-"

"WHAT?"

_Saw that coming..._ "Ed, it's not easy leaning on a rumor. A legend."

"THEN TRY HARDER!"

"The world doesn't revolve around you Ed," he scolded. "Now go take a break for a week or so. I'm sure you and your brother are tired of traveling around." The darkened circles under the blonde alchemist's eyes were proof enough. Edward looked as if he was about to protest when Roy interrupted him. "That was an order Fullmetal."

Feeling defeated and slightly humiliated, Ed left the office. You could practically see the steam rising due to his anger.

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><p>"DAMN BASTARD!" Ed cursed, throwing a pillow against the hotel room wall. "THINKS HE KNOWS EVERYTHING!"<p>

Alphonse sighed. If his face could show emotion, it would look a little like this: T_T. He was tiring when his older brother got like this, but Al never complained once. He knew from experience that proving him wrong would just add to his anger. "Brother, please calm down." The younger of the Elrics was surprised when Ed stopped in his tracks and attempted to follow his little brother's orders. The blonde sat down on the edge of his bed and rubbed his temple in distress.

His younger brother was aware that he had become very stressed lately and needed a little bit of relaxation time. He mentally thanked the colonel for making him take a vacation. "You stay here brother. Try to get some sleep. I'll get you some food from downstairs."

With that, Al left the hotel room. Ed listened to the sound of his clanking metal footsteps until they had completely faded.

_How can I rest?_ he thought.

With too much on his mind, Edward began to pace around the room. After a while, Ed accidently tripped over his suitcase. Cursing loudly, Ed rubbed his sore foot.

"SCREW THIS!" he yelled, grabbing his red coat from the rack. "I'M GETTING OUT OF HERE!"

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><p>Edward stomped down the busy streets of Central. The frosty night air nipped at his nose. He shivered slightly and stuffed his hands in his pockets, attempting to drive out the cold in his flesh fingers. He had had a bad day and when he finally got away from everyone, it was freezing. Great. Just great.<p>

Atleast he was left to his thoughts. He never liked being around people. Ed wasn't the social type. His younger brother made up for that though. Even if Ed was being a total asshole towards someone, Al would jump right in and change the subject. Once the older of the Elrics fled the scene, Alphonse would apologize for his brother's behavior and go right after him.

A street lamp light flickered on and off. Edward was unknowingly walking right into the outskirts of Central. Although, there was never enough quiet for him anywhere in the city. He could still hear the distant hum of car motors on busy streets. So, he kept walking. Normally he would feel bad leaving without telling Al, but this time he just needed to get away. Besides, Al would never allow him to go out in the city alone at night.

He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment that his brother acted like he was the older one. Alphonse most likely had a bit of their mother in him. Always so protective and worrysome.

The blonde was reaching the end of the city limits. Away from all the noise and distractions. He could finally think straight.

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><p>Alphonse entered their cozy hotel room with a tray of hot-piping soup. <em>It would be good for brother since it's so cold outside. Wouldn't want him getting sick.<em> Al thought when he had selected the food choice.

"Brother!" he called. No response. The younger of the Elrics simply shrugged it off and guessed he had taken his advice for once and fell asleep. Trying to be as quiet at he could- which is really hard for a six foot armor- Al made his way across the hard-wood floors and peeked inside his brother's room.

To his surprise, it was empty. Nothing but a tipped over suitcase. Alphonse also noticed that Ed's coat was missing. This frightened him a little. It wasn't like his brother to wander off without telling him. The suit of armor then thought better of the whole idea. Maybe Ed had gone back to the office to bicker at Mustang some more.

Picking up the phone on the nightstand, Al dialed the colonel's number. It rang a few times before there was a _click_.

"Colonel Roy Mustang speaking," was the answer through the line.

"Hello Colonel," Al said, sheepishly. "I was just wondering if Ed was there." There was a short pause.

"No," he replied. Alphonse could sense the curiosity in his voice. "Why?" he finally asked.

"It's just, I left to go get him some food, and by the time I got back, he was gone. What I'm saying is, I'm worried about him," Al admitted, yet again feeling a bit sheepish.

"I'm sure he's fine Alphonse," Roy soothed. "He probably just took off for a little bit. Ed will come back when he gets hungry." _Like a cat, _he mused.

"Alright," the younger brother said. Even though the colonel was probably right, it wasn't an answer that would satisfy his worry.

"Look," Roy finally said. "If he isn't back in twenty-four hours, he will be filed as a missing person. But don't worry Alphonse, I'm positive he'll come back in an hour or two."

"Thank you Colonel."

And with that their conversation ended with the _click_ of the phone.

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><p>The blonde alchemist was still pissed off. He was so enraged, that he had unknowingly trudged into the forest outside of Central.<p>

"Damn bastard..." he muttered, puffs of smoke coming out as his breathe in the chilly night air. "Think he knows everything..." His grumbles were soon stopped in their tracks as the sound of a twig snapping in two came from his left. Ed was about to pass it off as an animal of some sort, but he knew better than that. A shiver crawled up his spine. The blonde alchemist had known the certain feeling all too well.

It was the feeling of being watched.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled at another sound from his right. His pursuer obviously was planning to reveal himself soon. Either that or he or she was just stupid. As he had guessed, a shadow stepped into the moonlight. Judging by the silhoette, the attacker was definately male. He didn't seem like much of a challenge. He was much too skinny. Although, Ed could see the hint of muscles on his arms and lower abes.

But his hair... The crazy, long, pom-tree like hair had been way too familiar.

"How are you Fullmetal Pipsqueak?"

Just at that _small_ comment, Ed's foot was charging at the homunculus' face. Envy simply moved out of the way with ease, letting a tree take the abuse instead of him.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT FLYS SEEM LIKE AIRPLANES TO HIM?" Ed ranted, swinging his fists at the sin in blind rage.

Envy dodged his attacks with no problems at all. Ed's anger issues were the blonde's weakness. Envy knew very well that he could go at it all day. But Ed, Ed was human. And humans need to rest or drink or eat sometime. All he had to do was tire the shrimp out and the fight would be his.

The blonde alchemist moved to kick him in the back of the head, only to be stopped by Envy's fist in his stomach. Ed crouched to the ground for a moment, trying to get his breathe back. Sadly, the sin would not give him time to rest and clear his head. Envy kneed him in the jaw and grabbed the alchemist roughly by his ankle. The homunculus swung him through the air and hurtling him towards a tree.

Ed's back gave a soul-shattering crack as blood filled his lungs. It was as if his spine had broken in two. But that wasn't possible. Edward could still feel his legs, even his automail one.

"You know," the homunculus began, forcing the blonde down to the ground with his foot. "This would be much easier of you just gave up. So what do you say Chibi?"

The said "Chibi" only gathered up bile in the back of his throat and spat at the sin.

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><p>Edward's head swayed back and forth due to blood loss. He didn't know how much more he could take. However, it would be a total beating to his pride if he gave up now.<p>

The sin's foot collided with the side of his head, causing the blonde to topple over himself. Ed opened his eyes and noticed where they were. How could he have not noticed? The two were fighting over a cliff, a very steep one at that.

Envy towered over the blonde and starred down at him. Ed wasn't about ready to beg for mercy though. The alchemist knew that the homunculi needed him alive for their plans. However, he was not expecting the sin to kick him off the ledge.

The world gave in to a spinning tornado of gray and black. The sharp edges of rocks cut into his backside as he rolled down the steep cliff. He thought it would never end until there was a loud _crack._ Then everything faded away, and he knew no more.

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><p><strong>Okay hoped you liked it! That was the prologue to my new story. Do not forget to review or I will not write any more. Thanks for the support!<strong>


	2. Confrontations

**YEAH!** **Finally** **five reviews! But I feel bad for making you wait so long... Sorry, since it's the end of the school year, it's pretty hectic. I had to memorize this whole play about a camping trip gone wrong for theater. So I apologize. Don't think that I made you wait so long becuse I don't love you.**

**Me: I know, I haven't worked on this story in a while. *dodges flying chair* PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I'M WRITING IT NOW! *cowers in corner***

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><p>It had been three months. There had been no sight of the blonde alchemist. Some civilians said that they saw him on the night of his disappearence, but hadn't known where he was going. One kind lady said that she had seen Ed walk by her flower shop, heading east. Due to all the other confirmations from other citizens, Mustang and his team were able to conclude that he was heading towards the outskirts of the city. But sadly, beyond that, no one had seen the said alchemist.<p>

Edward's birthday came and went. Riza and the others dropped in for a visit to try and cheer the younger elric up, but it only did little to no good. Mustang wanted to go but couldn't bring himself to it. If Alphonse had his original body back, then Roy knew his expression would be nothing but pain. Everyone knew how the brothers were inseperable. Edward went to great lengths to try and restore his younger brother's body. But now, now Al was the one left behind.

This whole thing must have torn him up inside. They couldn't see the feelings in his expression because he had none, but Roy could hear the lonliness when the empty shell of the armor spoke. Al must miss Edward terribly. Without him, Al would be lost. The older of the Elrics always knew what to do and say at the right time. He reassured his brother of one day restoring what was lost but now that Ed was gone, Al had no one to look up to, or to lean on for support. Emotional pain can hurt just as much as it can physically. Sometimes even worse.

And that was what Roy feared the most...

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><p><em>Human kind cannot gain anything<em>

_without giving something in return_

_To obtain,_

_something_ _of eaqual value must be lost_

_This is alchemy's first law of Eaquivilant Exchange_

_In those days, we truely believed that to be the world's_

_one and only truth..._

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><p>The blonde boy opened his eyes, blinking at the warm sunshine that light up his still slightly unfamiliar room. He had woken up in it before. The first time he had, his head was wrapped in bandages. But now, being three months later, his wound had cleared... although, not his memory. Ever since he had come to in this strange place, he has had no memory of his past.<p>

Envy, his room-mate, told him that his name was Edward. There was no last name to it. Just Edward. Just Ed. Although, Envy prefered chibi-chan or pipsqueak. For some reason, those **small** comments really ticked him off. The blonde couldn't help himself from trying to pounce on Envy: Who, in the end, always ended up pinning him first. It seemed like the two teenagers, both blonde and green, could fight forever. That is, until Dante, Envy's mother, stepped in and pulled them apart.

Apparently, Ed was a fugitive of the military. His brother, who's name was never mentioned, commited a murder after getting involved in some drug and gang work. In his desperate attempt to get off the hook, he pointed his finger to Edward. Thus, he was sentenced to death. But, just before he was sent to the shooting, Envy- another person who disagreed with the state's decision- got him out. Unfortunately, Edward had hit his head while running away. Since then, he's been living with Envy and his family for the last three months with no memory.

Edward still knew little to nothing of what had happened in his past, but it sounded like a pretty terrifying life. He would be just fine hiding in Dante's mansion than go back to society. He was wanted, after all.

The sound of his door slamming open scared the pee out of him. Edward shrieked and fell out of his bed. When suddenly realizing that it wasn't the military coming to collect him, he opened his eyes to see a certained green pom-tree.

"Why so jumpy pipsqueak?" Envy questioned, querking an eyebrow. Ed grimmaced. Another **small **remark.

"SHUT UP!" he screeched. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK, YOU OVER-GROWN POM-TREE?"

"WATCH IT CHIBI-CHAN! DON'T MAKE ME SHOVE MY FOOT UP YOUR ASS!"

"OH I'D LOVE TO SEE YOU TRY!"

The two bickered back and forth, coming to no resolve. It's not like these kind of quarrels were new though. Envy loved to piss Ed off and the blonde just kept it going with his irritating rants.

There was no help for the two.

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><p>"Find anything?" Roy asked when Breda walked in with a manilla folder. The colonel's heart sank when he caught the tired and sad look in his subordinate's eyes. The young lieuteniant shook his head, placing the documents on his desk.<p>

"Nothing. It's as if he's been wiped off the edge of the planet. There's been traces of blood and stuggle in the woods just outside of town, but there's no telling where they went." Roy thought for a moment.

"Did you try the dogs?"

"We did," he said, his voice hinted with a bit of disappointment. "But once they smelled the area, they kept whining and whimpering like there was some demonic thing roaming around." There was a long pause, and Roy knew what Breda was about to day. "Sir, I think he's dead."

Another long pause as the colonel tried to keep his sanity. It just wouldn't sink in. Edward Elric... dead? Something wasn't right with that statement. He refused to believe it.

"Sir," came Riza's sharp voice from the door. One look at her facial expression told Roy that whatever she needed to tell him, it was urgent.

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><p>"How did you find them?" Mustang asked on their way towards the homunculi's new hide out. Fuery pushed his glasses back into place before answering.<p>

"We're not certain it's them, but it's definately worth checking out. A hiker claim he had heard screams of a young boy coming from an old mansion just outside of Central. We are almost positive it's Edward," he said, slightly cringing at that last part.

"If it is them," Breda said, joining the conversation. "We're in for one hell of a fight. You've seen what they can do. Just imagine what they've done to-" He was cut off by the cocking of Riza's gun.

The lieuteniant sighed and began to refill her barrel with new bullets. "Just promise me, sir, that you wont get your hopes up." Mustang clenched his fists at that. "For Edward's sake... and for everyone else's- Don't do anything reckless." The rest of the trip went on in silence.

Roy knew she was right. If Fullmetal had been taken by the homunculi three months ago, he could be dead by now. There's no telling what those monsters would do to them. Especially the green one by the name of Envy. He always seemed to have a bit of a temper around Edward. He didn't know why, but whatever his reasons were, they were not positive.

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><p>He could hear them outside, shouting orders and shooting at the homunculi- even though that wouldn't even phase them. Edward wanted to help but was too scared to do so. The blonde knew that if he showed his face, they would take him back. If the military is half as bad as Envy had told him, then they would most likely torture him to death.<p>

Ed shrieked and jumped ten feet in the air when the door slammed open. He let his gaurd down when it was Envy. It didn't last though. The look on the homunculus' face was urgent. A bullet wound in his shoulder blade was quickly healed by the pom-tree's philosiphers stone. Edward knew what he was going to say. There were too many of them. He could see that from his bedroom window. The thought of the military running in here and doing god knows what to him made the blonde go slightly pale.

"Edward," Envy began, using his full name for once (although, it sounded forced). "They've entered the house. You have to run!"

"But-" he began to hesitate.

"Don't argue with me pipsqueak!" Envy yelled, gripping his shoulders. "You don't have much time. Run into the forest and don't look back. I'll come by later for you, but whatever you do, don't come back to the house ever again."

Before Edward could mutter anything else, the door slammed open once again. Except this time, it wasn't Envy, it was the military. Their dark blue uniforms made the rest of the room look completely dull. The blonde could smell the gun powder and blood on their uniforms. They lifted their guns and pointed at green homunculus' temple.

It went silent for a moment once the soliders caught a glance at the boy behind the said homunculus. There were many confused glances among the soliders. They just couldn't comprehend that Edward, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was helping the homunculus. Or, atleast, that's what it looked like. It was kind of hard to think of another reason when Ed clung to Envy's arm and looked at the cloud of soliders with very big deer-like eyes. This was not the Edward Elric the people all knew and loved. He was nothing but a mere child in a shell of a young man.

Envy looked down at Edward and flashed him a look that screamed, 'Get. Out. Now.' Giving one last glance to the armed bunch of military puppets, the blonde turned and crashed through the window. The sound of shattering glass was quickly drowned out by millions of gunshots. Ed knew it could only go down hill from there. As he ran across the open, exposed, field, he could only pray that no one would go after him.

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><p>Mustang pulled on his ignition gloves quickly, getting ready to charge into the said house with his team. He had just recieved intel that they needed to begin pulling out the heavy guns. Not that he could blame the soliders already inside. Roy had seen what those monsters could do. They would definately need back up, and the colonel's fire power was just what they needed. He would scorch them before the sins could even blink.<p>

"Okay men," he began, turning to his team. "Shoot them on sight. Remember to keep your eyes peeled for Fullmetal." After a few nods of acknowledgement, Roy ended the short conversation with a, "Let's go."

Before he could even sprint towards the molding mansion, a spec of gold caught his eye. Stopping short, his sight followed what looked like a young blonde running through the tall grass. "Fullmetal," he muttered under his breathe. The colonel turned back to his team.

"Sir?" Hawkeye gave him a questioning look.

"You'll have to go on without me. I'll be back as soon as I can."

He knew it wasn't the smarted idea leaving his men to fend for themselves, but his curiousity had overcame him. A million questions raced through his mind like, _Why is he running from us?_ or _Is he okay? _All those months of waiting and Ed finally shows up out of the blue. And Roy was not about to let him run off again and leave his poor younger brother alone any longer.

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><p>Once he made it to the cover of the trees, Ed looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was following. To his horror, a middle-aged man with dark hair was running in his general direction. Strange red symbols were sewed into the design of his white gloves. The blonde immediantly recognized it as an alchemic circle. Once, when he was living with the homunculi, he had seen similar symbols in Dante's study.<p>

Judging by how fast he was running and the proof that he was an alchemist, Ed knew he had to be trouble. He guessed that the man was probably sent to eliminate him or take him back to the military.

Without taking any chances, Ed turned and sprinted deeper into the woodlands, hoping that his pursuer would eventually get too tired or lose sight of him. Sadly, the raven-haired man kept a good pace not too far away from the blonde, coming closer and closer. Edward tried to force his legs to move faster, recieving little to no success.

His heart was beating rapidly. Adrenaline was growing and growing towards it's limits. The blonde was panicking, which made running for his life very difficult. As the man closed in on him, he tried again to go faster, once again, only getting nothing but more dissappointment. From what he could remember, this was the scariest moment of Ed's life. It felt like he was being hunted down as prey.

He could feel him getting closer and closer, almost at arm's length. The man was way too close for comfort. It was rather frightening. Edward knew that if he was caught, then it would be the end of him. His hopes of Envy, or anybody, coming to his rescue, were fading very quickly. He doubted that the green-haired homunculus would save his ass at the shooting range again. He still didn't even know if Envy and the other homunculi were still alive. Ed knew that they were almost invincible, but that many soliders made him nervous.

The green-haired sin had came in moments before the military's dogs arrived, telling him that he needed to leave. That couldn't mean anything good. It meant that, even with all four of them combined, and Dante, they could not protect him from the rage of the military.

Suddenly the air was knocked out of him as something tackled him from behind, pinning him to the ground. Once the world stopped spinning, he could see that, of course, it was his previous pursuer. Panic rose in his chest. The thing he had dreaded for so long had become a reality- he was caught. Edward knew what was to come. This man would take him back to the state to be killed, or worse.

Said man pinned his wrists above his head with brute force. The blonde began to sturggle and squirm under the older man's weight and tight grip, desperate for an escape. He kicked and thrashed and screamed and scratched, and even resorted to attempting to bite the man, but it was no use. It was too late. He swallowed, looking into the man's onyx eyes with pure terror, dreading of what would happen next.

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><p>Once Roy had finally caught up to the kid, he could see that Edward was actually trying to get away from him by taking sharp turns and sprinting faster through the woodlands. This made his questioning go deeper than it had before. Fullmetal shouldn't have been running away from him. And what was even wierder, was that the blonde seemed perfectly fine.<p>

It gets better too. When he had finally caught him, pinning Ed to the ground, he _screamed_. The colonel had never heard him yell like that. It was filled with terror and pain. The little shrimp even tried to bite him in his frantic attempt of escaping. Roy couldn't understand why he was so desperate to get away from him when he was trying to help the kid. The look in his eyes when he starred back into Roy's was screamed stunned. He could feel his heart beating rapidly. Why was he so afraid of him. It's not like the colonel was planning on killing the runt or anything. He sure as hell acted like it though.

"Edward," he said, sternly, causing the kid to stop in his futile squirming. "It's just me," he tried, only recieving a confused look. "Why are you running?"

"Of course I'm going to run away you dumb ass!" _Yup, that's Ed._ "Just get it over with already!" The colonel's mind swam. Get over with what? He was about to ask before the blonde added, "You're just going to kill me anyway! Might as well put me out of my misery."

"Ed, I'm not going to kill you," he said, shaking his head, still completely dumbfounded. A cruel sarcastic gleam shone in the shrimp's golden eyes, scowling at the colonel.

"So that's a job for your superiors, huh?" he asked, baring his teeth.

Roy shook his head again, trying to clear his cluttering thoughts. "No Edward. Why would I kill you? Your brother and I have been looking for you everywhere since you've gone missing." A look of confusion crossed the blonde alchemist's face, then turned back into a deep frown full of hatred.

"That bastard can go to hell! He's the one who got me into this mess in the first place!" Roy couldn't believe his ears. The Elric brothers were inseperable, and now here Edward was calling Al a bastard. And what did he mean by getting him into this situation? There was a long silence. "And don't go acting like we're friends or anything!" he yelled, louder than before. "I don't remember anything what happened before but all I know is that military scum like you are trying to kill me!"

It hit him. The reason why Edward had ran from him. The results of his actions towards the colonel and his brother. He didn't remember **anything**. It was just a guess, but Roy inferred that the homunculi must have made up some story about him being against the military and somehow his brother.

"You really... don't remember a thing, do you?" he asked under his breathe. A cold chill ran down his spine. _This explains everything._

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><p><strong> Me: Hoped you all liked it!<strong>

**Lexi: How come I'm not in this one?**

**Me: Because this isn't one of my gender-bender fanfics.**

**Lexi: pooh...**

**Me: Don't worry. If the fans ask for more of Lexi, I'll give them more.**

**Lexi: *face goes pale* You're... Not going to... um... Make me do... "things", are you?**

**Al: Can it be things with me?**

**Lexi: *face goes red* WHAT?**

**Me: Ah... Young love.**

**Lexi: *throwing large random objects at al and author* SHUT UP!**

**Ed/Roy: *walks out into room, slowly backs away***

**Don't forget to review. Again, I am very sorry for the wait. State testing was hectic and I just didn't find the time to work on this. Review and comment if you want more chapters! :)**

**-Lexi Elric**


	3. Memories of the Past

**Thank you for all the reviews! You guys are awesome! Keep them coming! My goal is to get to 100 reviews before 20 some odd chapters. That is, if i continue writing this for that long. But then again, that's up to you guys if you review or not. So... REVIEW!**

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><p>He just sat there, looking over the young blonde that was once Edward Elric. He may have had his face and body, but his memories, his true memories and not some made up story by those monsters, we're gone. He really didn't remember anything...<p>

Roy Mustang starred at the young boy who was once his subordinate in disbelief. Golden fearful eyes met shocked onyx ones. They just laid there, covered in dirt and grass. Even though the sun was bright in the sky, illuminated the world and chasing away every spec of darkness, it felt like the whole world was cast under an unforgiving, cold, shadow.

"Tell me this," the Flame Alchemist said through gritted teeth. "Why did you think I was going to kill you?" The boy continued to stare back into his eyes, never showing anything less than pure terror.

Ed opened his mouth for a moment, then closed it, at a complete loss for words. "B-because the military was supposed t-to k-kill m-me," he finally said, fumbling with his words at that last part as if he was in front of the firing squad at the very moment.

The colonel tightened his grip around the blonde's wrists in anger, making Edward whince as his fingernails slightly dug into his skin. "Who told you that?" Another long pause.

He snorted defiantly, trying to act brave, before saying, "I'm not telling you. Why would I do that? You're just going to kill me anyways." There was a pause. The whole world seemed to stand still. No birds sang in the beautiful, yet depressing, afternoon.

Mustang grinded his teeth together, never taking his eyes off of the slightly shaking young alchemist. He felt Ed squirm under his grip, still trying to escape from under the older man's weight. By now, an average criminal would have given up and accepted defeat. But Edward was no criminal, and he sure as hell wouldn't have given up so easily. The boy below him shared that same trait with Edward, but a lot of pieces were missing to complete the once hot-headed teen.

"Nevermind," Roy said. "I think I already know." A flash of confusion shot across the blonde's face, which was quickly replaced by fear. That's where Edward and the boy were different. The older of the Elric brothers would have kept spitting out insults and curses, glaring at his captor. But this boy... this child only cowered in fear. Roy could feel Ed's muscles tense under his weight.

"We'll have to get you back to Central Command for questioning," he said, trying to ease the tension in the air. However, once he said that, the blonde began to kick and scream, shouting curses at the older man. For a moment, it was Edward. His automail arm was the hardest to restrain. Since it wasn't really his muscles and just pieces of iron, the boy had enormous strength on that side.

While the boy continued to struggle to escape, Roy began to wonder how he was going to transport the shrieking teen back to Central Command, let alone the trucks parked not too far away from the old mansion.

_Great..._ Roy thought. _Today is going to be a long day..._

* * *

><p><em>Human kind<em>

_Cannot gain anything without first sacrficing something in return_

_To obtain,_

_Something of eaqual value must be lost_

_That is alchemy's first law of Eaquivilant Exchange_

_In those days_

_We truely believed that to be the world's one and only truth..._

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><p>"Just hold still damn it!" Roy cursed under his breathe.<p>

He was now standing, trying to restrain the boy from running off deeper into the woodlands. Edward kicked at his legs, -trying to aim for his crotch- and jabbed him in his sides with his elbows. He'd been trained to take down criminals damn it! How come this was so hard! Was it because he didn't want to hurt Ed? Or because he was simply losing his edge?

A sudden piercing pain in his left hand cause Roy to loosen his grip around the boy, giving him the oppurtunity to run for it._ He bit me!_ Ed turned to break off into a full sprint into the woodlands before a single gun-shot filled the air. The blonde shrieked and everything went silent. The said bullet laid burried beneathe the soil, only inches away from Edward's feet. No one dared to move a muscle.

To his relief- and somewhat to his horror- First Lieuteniant Riza Hawkeye stood at the other side of the clearing, gun cocked but not particularly aiming at either of them.

"Sir," she began. "I would appreciate it if you would stop harrassing Edward. I'm sure he's had a rough time dealing with those monsters."

_Shit! How the hell am I supposed to explain this to her?_ he thought. It was enough of a shock for him, he couldn't even imagine how his team would react... Especially Alphonse. Poor kid. There was no way out of it. The colonel had no choice but to man up and say, "Lieuteniant, he doesn't remember anything."

Shock and dread filled the air. He could see the horror reach her eyes for a moment. It just seemed so impossible. Edward was so strong but now... now he is just a boy. A little kid that can hardly fend for himself.

"In that case," she said after a long while. "We should bring him back to Central Command. His brother is probably worried about him. Even if Edward doesn't remember anything, if he's going to get his memories back, Alphonse would be a good place to start. After all, they have spent the majority of their lives together."

She was right. Little did Hawkeye know that Edward now hated his brother due to a false story told by those wretched monsters. However, Roy could tell her that on the car ride back to the command center.

* * *

><p>To avoid questions and starres, Riza called a military car so they could talk in private. Not really private though since Edward sat in the back. The blonde seemed pretty quiet since they got to the car. He pretty much yelled the whole way back to the main battlefield.<p>

As it turns out, the homunculi fled the scene and headed up north. After about thirty minutes of shouting orders, a team was situated and was assigned to head up in that general direction.

"So," Riza said, beginning to put the pieces together. "Edward supposedly lost his memory in a fight, the homunculi took him for an unknown reason, and they told him that the military was trying to kill him and that his brother did something aweful to him?"

Roy nodded. "Pretty much. He won't tell me anything more though."

"I'm right here!" the blonde finally spoke up. "Don't act like I'm not here!" From the look on his face, he wasn't too happy that he was being forced to go to Central Command against his own will.

The colonel grimmaced, starting to get annoyed with the idea that this wasn't the same Edward they all knew before. "Believe me, I haven't," the dark haired man grumbled.

* * *

><p>"So tell me," Roy began, looking down at a frustrated Edward. "The homunculi were the ones that told you that you supposedly were a fugitive of the military and that you were framed by your brother?" The blonde huffed an exhasperated sigh before nodding. He could tell that Edward didn't like being interrogated, but he had to get all the information he could out of the teen. "Do you have any idea where they might be heading?"<p>

A scowl crossed Edward's face. "Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you," he spat, giving the colonel a death glare.

"You don't know?" he inquired.

"NO!" he shot back, starting to get frustrated with the military man. "I don't know anything!" There was a long pause. "So when do I go to the firing squad?" he asked.

The question took the colonel off gaurd. He wasn't expecting that kind of response! Now came the hard part. Somehow, he had to convince Edward that what was real was real. Like how he became a state alchemist and that he wasn't a wanted fugitive of the military and that Alphonse most certainly did not get him involved in a crime. Knowing Ed though, it would take a while and a whole hell of a lot of proof until he actually began to believe what he was saying was true.

He sighed, taking a seat on the opposite side of the table where Ed sat. "Look Edward," he began, trying to keep it simple. "Whatever they told you, isn't true. You are not wanted by the military, you are an alchemist that works for the state. Your brother, Alphonse, is not apart of any type of gang or crimes. He is actually a very sweet boy that has been missing his brother ever since you went missing." That was a start. Keep it simple.

A look of shock crossed his face, which was quickly replaced by sheer anger. "What kind of idiot do you take me for? Haha. Very funny."

Roy shook his head before continuing. "No Edward. I'm not lying. What I'm telling you is the truth. The only reason why the homunculi kept you alive is because they need you for their plans which is still unknown. They somehow made you lose your memory. Please Edward, your brother misses you."

It broke his heart when Edward scowled at the mentioning of his sibling. This was so unlike him. It was so unreal, this couldn't possibly happen. The brothers stuck together like glue. But now, now those monsters had tempered with the older of the Elric's memories, making him despise the brother he once loved and held so dear to him. Mustang was about to jump across the table and slap that kid until he came to his senses. Maybe if he hit him hard enough in the head, he would remember everything and remember not to be such a little dick-head.

He had to remind himself though that it's not like the kid knew any better. After all, the homunculi had supposedly taken him in and gave him a home. Of course Edward wouldn't believe him right away. This whole process would take time and effort before the real healing began. Healing for both Ed and Alphonse. Speaking of which, he still had to inform the young sibling that he had found his brother. The really difficult part would be explaining all that happened. He didn't want to bruise the poor boy's feelings anymore than they already were. He couldn't even imagine what he must be feeling.

The suit of armor could feel no physical pain, but that didn't mean that he couldn't feel pain on the inside. That made him worry about the boy more than ever. His brother had always been there to take care of him and ensure him that everything was going to be okay. But now that the said brother was no longer there and was replaced by a defenseless child who didn't know anything about the world.

After the dreadfully long silence Edward finally said, "If what you say is true, then I want you to prove it. Tell me about my 'true' life and let me see my 'innocent' brother."

That was a good start. Turns out that keeping it simple was exactly what Roy needed to do to earn the boy's trust. "Very well. I'll go get your records."

* * *

><p>"So I got my automail during the Eastern Rebellion?" Ed asked, looking up from the military documents on himself.<p>

_Aw, shit._ Roy thought. How was he supposed to explain the whole human transmutation thing? _Okay Roy... Calm down. Keep it simple._ "Look, Edward," he began. _Keep it simple._ "You didn't really lose it during a fight. You see, you and your brother used to live with your mom in the countryside. A sickness took her, you and Alphonse decided to attempt Human Transmutation."

The blonde's eyes widened. He obviously knew what that meant. Could that be something that was still left behind in his memories? Just by mentioning it, could Edward vaguely remember what happened that night when he gave up his arm and leg in order to save his disembodied brother? It was a possibility.

"You lost your left leg and your brother lost his whole body. The thing you created, it wasn't even a real human. In order to save your brother's soul, you attatched it to a suit of armor and gave up your right arm in the transmutation." There it was. Just plain and simple. It was a heart-breaking story, true. But he had to stay calm to keep the blonde under control in case he fainted or had a mental break down. "Ever since then, you two have been traveling around Amestris, trying to find the philosiphers stone, a mythical gem that defys the laws of Equivilant Exchange."

"So... You're saying I took away my brother's body because I had the bright idea of attempting a forbidden science?" He didn't say anything like that. Was Edward remembering bits of his past? Did the young alchemist remember what it was like looking at his brother's body and thinking that it was all his fault he was like that?

Roy tried to find the words to comfort him but couldn't find any. He didn't know how to respond to that! And he certainly didn't know how to react when the blonde passed out on the floor.

* * *

><p>"Ed," Al said, voice shaky, his eyes immitating a deer in headlights. "Something doesn't feel right. Is something wrong?"<p>

The room went cold as a giant eye opened across the chalk-drawn transmutation circle, causing the air to go stiff. Flaming candles went out and test tubes shattered at the sudden icy wind. A shriek peirced the air. Edward whipped around just into time to see black hands begin to tear apart his limbs.

Acting on instinct, Ed leapt forward to help his younger sibling, only to be pulled back by a sudden yank in his left leg. Pain coursed through his appendage.

"BROTHER!"

"NO! AL!"

Then everything went white.

* * *

><p>Edward awoke on a, rather comfortable, leather sofa. The blonde meekly wiped the sweat away from his forehead, taking a few deep breathes. He immediantly noticed that it was not the same interrogation room he had los conciousness in. He also took note that no one was in the strange new environment with him. Not even the colonel who had apparently known so much about him was at his side any longer. He was completely alone.<p>

Sitting up, the young alchemist began to take in his new surroundings. There were a total of six mahogony desks in the room, one at the end that was particularly bigger than the others. This utterly confused him. Why was he in an office when he should be in a cell? He was a criminal after all. Was this man so determined to convince him of his side of the story that he would let him wander freely? Could it be the truth? Or was this another trick?

He was about ready to sprint for the door when the colonel from before walked in. A small smirk played across his lips. Something about that look really pissed him off. Almost as if he had seen that face before.

"Oh good," he began, still smirking as if nothing was wrong. "You're awake. After you fainted like a little girl in the interrogation room, I had my men take you here. You were out for quite a few hours."

Ed didn't trust this man. He seemed a little too happy for a situation like this. "Tell me," Ed said, fixing the colonel a hard glare. "Why are you not going to put me in jail, atleast for now?"

The colonel's face hardened and that know it all smirk was suddenly gone. "Because," he began, never taking his eyes off of Ed. "You didn't do anything wrong."

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><p><strong>Okay so that's all! Please remember to review! I LOVE YOU GUYS! :)<strong>


	4. Moving Forward

**Thank you for all the reviews! You guys are awesome! Keep them coming! My goal is to get to 100 reviews before 20 some odd chapters. That is, if i continue writing this for that long. But then again, that's up to you guys if you review or not. So... REVIEW!**

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><p>The situation was extremely awkward. The brother Ed was supposedly supposed to hate was sitting across from him in the hallway. He was in a tall suit of armor, just like the colonel had explained. Edward had thought that they would immediantly start yelling at each other, but instead, he felt a warm fire of comfort inside of him. Despite his size, Alphonse was a sweet kid. Edward could tell that he was a good person. There was no way that this boy was the same one described by Envy. The suit of armor gave off a good vibe of someone who loved cats for some reason. Ed didn't know where he got that last part from.<p>

"So..." Al began, becoming a little uneasy at the silence. His brother was starring at him with an uneasy gaze, as if he would try to slice him into little pieces. "You really don't remember anything?" he asked, looking to the floor and twidling his metal thumbs. Ed seemed to snap out of the trance he was in and nodded half-heartidly.

The blonde looked down as well. After a while, he muttered, "I am starting to remember a few bits of my past..."

A flame of hope was light in Al's soul, making him look up at his older sibling in anticipation and excitement. "You do? What do you remember?"

Edward thought for a moment. "Well," he began, taking quite an interest in the floor. "I'm not quite sure if it's a memory, but the other day I had a dream about me and some other boy. We were kneeling by this strange transmutation circle that looked oddly familiar to me. It started glowing, but something was wrong. The next thing I knew, my left leg began to hurt and the boy with me was screaming and calling out my name, trying to reach for me..." He trailed off, looking up through his blonde bangs. "Then everything went white."

"That was the night you and I attempted human transmutation. The colonel told me he already informed you of your automail and my condition. Your leg was torn from you and I lost my entire body. In an attempt to attatch my soul to a suit of armor, you sacrificed your right arm as well."

Edward looked up at him with a sad look that pierced Al's very soul. "If what you all say is true," he began, his golden eyes getting wider and wider with sadness. "Then I'm sorry. It would be my fault you are in that body in the first place. If I am your older brother, then it's my responsibility to protect you."

It was a spark that told Al that deep down inside, he was still the same old Ed, always taking the blame for things that are not entirely his fault. Behind the mask of a boy that was sitting across from him, there was an alchemist.

"Ed," Al began, a smile in his eyes. "This was not your fault. I agreed to it. Besides, that's in the past. We're alive, and we have each other again." Alphonse swore he saw a smile tug at the side of Edward's mouth, looking like his old self again. Perhaps this wouldn't be as hard as he had thought it would be. If Ed remembered this much, then he would get his memories back in no time. And he knew exactly where to start the process.

"Hey brother, why don't we go get your automail fixed?"

* * *

><p>"No," Roy said, shaking his head. "I don't feel comfortable letting you two go out to Risembool by yourself."<p>

"Please colonel!" Al pleaded.

The younger of the Elrics had been spending the last three hours trying to convince Colonel Mustang to let him and his brother go visit Winry and Granny Pinako. Alphonse knew that if there was a place on Earth that would help Ed regain his memories, it was Risembool. They had grown up there after all. It was where most of their joyful and painful memories took place. Al was certain that even with just a glance at their hometown, Ed's memories would come flooding back. The colonel, however, was thinking about "safety issues."

"I just don't like the idea of just the two of you traveling alone. The homunculi are still at large and I don't want another incident like before. It would be the perfect oppurtunity for them to attack. Besides, we still don't know if Ed'll run off with them again. He could be faking it."

"He's not faking it colonel," Al countered. "I can see it in his eyes, he's trying to remember. He just needs some help with the process."

The colonel thought about this for a moment. Finally, he said, "Okay Alphonse, but I am sending someone to watch over you two."

"Like who?"

A smirk spread across the colonel's face that Al knew far too well. "I think you already know the answer to that," he replied in a sly tone.

* * *

><p>Armstrong flexed his enormous muscles, sparkles dancing around him. "Did somebody order an escort?" he said, his voice bold as ever. Yup. The major had not changed one bit since their first trip to Risembool.<p>

Ed had the "dafuq" expression on his face. "Uh..." he began, dumbfounded. "Who the hell is this guy?" Armstrong looked down on the blonde, causing him to shiver. The major flexed his giant muscles again, the sparkles becoming bigger.

"Surely you remember the fabulous Major Armstrong Edward Elric!" Talk about narcassistic.

The blonde alchemist merely shrugged and shook his head. "Sorry. No." At first the major thought he was joking, so Alphonse had to pull him aside and explain to the state alchemist his brother's conditions.

Tears filled the major's eyes, sparkling dancing around his mustached face. He turned away from the suit of armor and charged at the unsuspecting Edward. His buff arms wrapped around the small alchemist, crushing him in a giant bear hug. Ed gasped for air as the major burst out of his shirt once again and continued to squeeze him.

"OH EDWARD ELRIC! HOW TRAGIC! DON'T YOU WORRY! I, MAJOR ARMSTRONG, SHALL PROTECT YOU AND YOUR BROTHER AS YOU RECOVER YOUR MEMORY!"

Al sweat dropped.

* * *

><p>On the train ride, Edward mostly slept like he always did. Even with some of his memory lost, he never really changed. He stilled drooled while he was asleep. Oh brother... Literally.<p>

There was one questioned that haunted Alphonse though... What is Winry going to think of all this?

* * *

><p><strong>Hey, Sorry it took so long. And I also apologize for it being so short but I know I had to put it out there or else you all woud be mad. Thank you for all the reviews and the support. Again, sorry about the wait. :(<strong>


	5. Letting It Out

Thank** you for all the reviews! You guys are awesome! I was surprised because the last chapter wasn't that long (sorry about that!). But this one is about the normal length so enjoy! Don't forget to review and comment!**

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><p>The train ride was long and ridiculously painful for Edward. Major Armstrong kept asking him questions and the grannit-like seats were absolutely killing his poor back. He did recognize the pain of it though. Perhaps he had rode a few trains in the past. Surprisingly, he had been able to squeeze in a few hours of sleep, despite how uncomfortable he was sitting on the hard seats and next to the major. After three hours, his brother, Alphonse, woke him up by lightly shaking his shoulder. Normally he would be pissed because someone had woken him up in the first place, but thought better of it since it was Al. Ed had the feeling that if he had snapped at the suit of armor, it would absolutely break his heart.<p>

After grabbing his trunk, he hopped off the train and onto the platform. Risembool's train station wasn't much. You could tell by first look that not many passengers went this far out east. Only a few had gotten on the train, and even fewer got off in the country side town. There were a couple of benches that nobody seemed to sit on, a ticket booth with one person manning it, and a map of Amestris posted on the wall. To be honest, Ed felt instantly attatched to the place like he had in Colonel Mustang's office. As if he had been there before in a dream. The long green hills and endless sky made him feel right at home.

"Come on Ed," Al said, already at the exit of the platform. "Let's go see Winry."

He felt a strong muscular hand on his shoulder. "Yes. Come Edward Elric. We do not want to keep Mrs. Rockbell and young Winry waiting," he proclaimed, sparkling a bit.

The journey to the Rockbell residence was a bit lengthy. The dirt road seemed to go on forever like the sky. Ed did, however, like seeing everything so peaceful, unlike the busy streets of Central. Everything in Risembool was so beautiful and quiet. A few kids were out climbing on some trees, and a few of the older men were working on the farms. It was so old-fashioned but comforting at the same time. After about fifteen minutes of walking and sight-seeing the new area, a tall wooden house could be seen in the distance. Something about it felt vaguely familiar. He couldn't put his finger on it, but somehow, he just knew he had been there before.

His peaceful thoughts were interrupted when a wrench smacked him right in the forhead, causing him to loose his balance. Rubbing his now bruised face, Ed looked up to find a rather angry blonde teenage girl standing on the wooden porch, her hands on her hips.

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO MY AUTOMAIL THIS TIME ALCHEMY FREAK?" she yelled, each word making him whince in guilt for some reason. Ed blinked a few times, trying to glare up at the scary girl before him. Something in his gut told him that he was supposed to fight with her, get ticked off about that 'alchemy freak' comment. But the fear of the other wrench in her hand made him hold his tongue.

Alphonse jumped to his brother's rescue, waving his hands in front of him innocently. "H-he didn't break it Winry! We just came for a visit..." A long pause.

The girl by the name of Winry's blue eye twitched in annoyance and disbelief. "That's your worst lie yet!" She then chucked the remaining wrench at the younger Elric, knocking him to the ground as well. "You two never come and visit! WHY WOULD YOU START NOW?" Al stayed silent, fearing the conversation he was about to have with his now angered childhood friend. _This is not going to be fun._

* * *

><p>"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ED'S LOST HIS MEMORY?" In the kitchen, Al and Major Armstrong were explaining everthing that had happened in Central for the past few months. Al hadn't told Winry Ed was missing in the first place because he knew they would find him and did not want to worry , Edward sat on the porch with Den, looking quite content.<p>

"I'm really sorry Winry," Al said, rubbing he back of his helmet, nervously. "I know, I should have told u... but Ed needed some time to calm down. You can't all rush these things at once. Plus, it kind of took a while to find him." He waited for a response. Winry seemed to become very interested at the table they were seated at.

"No," she said, breaking the silence. "It's alright. It wasn't your fault... It's not anyone's fault." Another long pause. Winry looked up and starred into her childhood friend's eyes. Red and white looked back at deep blue. She smiled softly. "Just let me take a look at his arm and leg. I'm sure they're in need of maintnance anyway."

Alphonse was thankful that Winry didn't press any further. The three of them had always shared a special connection ever since they were kids. Winry knew very well how emotionally difficult the whole situation for all of them is. But part of Al knew that she was mostly doing it for Edward. They wouldn't admit it, but Ed and Winry had always liked each other more than a brotherly sisterly way. Maybe it was how they argued with each other, the certain spark that was instantly light when they were in the same room, but Al knew they loved each other in a way that regular friends don't.

* * *

><p>Ed sat on the couch while Winry tightened a few bolts on his automail arm and leg. It was much too quiet for both of their liking. Winry was especially becoming impatient for a simple conversation to start like it always did while she worked on his automail limbs. Ed normally chatted about their recent discoveries, and in turn, Winry would tell him about what she and Granny had been up to since their last visit. But this wasn't the Edward that she had known. This was the far too quiet Ed that didn't like a nice little conversation between old friends. The blonde mechanic now began to wonder if the alchemy freak even remembered her.<p>

Alphonse had explained earlier about Ed's condition, but she never imagined it was this bad. Even though he lost his memory, he was still the same Ed, right? Her confidence in that was lowering by the second. He hadn't blown up once. Even when she hit him in the face with her wrench, he hadn't uttered a single complaint. It felt so foreighn, him acting like this. Edward was normally strong, stubborn, brave, and hot-tempered. Now he was... so small. Not in stature, but in self-confidence. He actually seemed a bit frightened when she was setting up her tools for a simple clean-up procedure.

Not being aware of her own emotions taking control of her body, Winry tightened a bolt in the alchemist's leg a little too tight. Ed let out a cry of surprise and looked at the mechanic in shock.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" he yelled. Winry, acting on instinct, held up her wrench threatening, causing Ed to shrink back into the couch.

"WELL SORRY I GOT LOST IN THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT!"

"YOU WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION WHILE YOU WERE WORKING ON MY AUTOMAIL ARM AND LEG? WHO DOES THAT? WHAT IF IT GOT RIPPED OFF OR SOMETHING?"

Winry gasped at that last comment. "MY AUTOMAIL IS NOTHING LESS THAN THE BEST! THERE'S NO WAY I'D LET IT BREAK SO EASILY!"

"YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE YOU? YOU PROMISED THIS WOULD BE A PAINLESS OPERATION! BUT INSTEAD, HERE YOU ARE TRYING TO RIP OFF MY LEG!"

"I DID NOT TRY TO RIP OFF YOUR LEG! WHY WOULD I DESTROY SUCH A WONDERFUL PIECE OF ART?"

Edward blew a strand of golden hair out of his face. "Work of art, huh?" he grumbled. A moment of silence. Neither of them spoke. Their eyes suddenly starred into each other's intensely. Gold met deep blue. Suddenly, they both began to laugh.

* * *

><p>The two walked down the dirt path that led away from the Rockbell residence. They thought about inviting Alphonse, but decided they needed a little bit of alone time to catch up.<p>

"So," Winry began, looking over at Ed who was looking down at the ground his feet walked upon. It was if he was trying to remember something, like a memory from decades before or a specific detail from a dream he had. "How have things been since you got back?"

"To be honest, really wierd," he admitted, finally looking at her. "Everyone keeps asking me what I remember, but I can't answer them. There's little bits scrambled all over, and I can't seem to put the pieces together. It's really frustrating. They have all been really nice to me, though..." he hesitated to finish his thoughts.

"But you think that they just don't understand how complicated your situation is," she said, finishing his sentence. Ed looked at her as if she had just read his mind- even though she might as well have. "I'm sorry this happened to you," she said after a while.

"Don't apologize," he replied. "If anything, I probably lost my memory because I was being too reckless." Winry smiled at that last part.

_Same old Ed._ They then found a bench to sit on to chat. Before she knew it, Ed was smiling again like he used to.

"Thank you," he said. Winry cocked her head to the side in confusion. "It's been a while since I was this happy... You make me happy." There was a long pause as they starred into each other's eyes. The heat built up between them was almost too much. Everything felt so right, nothing was wrong. All of their problems would give way any second.

The moon above them shined brightly, symbolizing a new beginning. For both of them. Edward felt the same rush when he first met her, except warmer. The wonderful feeling screamed it's exhistence inside him. He wanted this very moment to last forever. Just him, starring into her beautiful diamond like eyes that light up the sky with their admirable sense. Time seemed to stand still. He couldn't move. His body was completely frozen with shock and emotion. He knew he had to do something right then.

His instincts took control right away. Before he knew it, his hand was on her cheeks, and his lips were on hers. At first, it was just shock. Then it turned into something warmer, like a dream that finally came true. It felt so right. Everything fell into place. They were the only ones who exhisted in the whole universe. Nothing else mattered to them except each other. Edward liked the taste of her lips and tried to savor it. It was like everything he had ever imagined. He wanted more. He wanted her. Ed knew very well he shouldn't express his feelings so easily. But he couldn't hold it all in anymore. He had known her for less than a day, well atleast remembered her for a day, and he was already in love with the blonde mechanic.

Yes. Edward Elric had kissed Winry Rockbell.


	6. Fierce Battle

**Thank you for all the reviews! I look forward to posting new chapters every week! It's been a bit difficult because I have had writer's block though. Don't worry, I have reasons why Ed went ahead and smooched Winry. 1. He doesn't have any memories on why he didn't want to rush anything. 2. Deep down, he loves her (but we all knew that, now didn't we?) So there are my reasons. Anyway, enjoy the new chappy!**

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><p>Winry pulled away and starred at Edward in disbelief. He had kissed her! Not a friendly kiss, a total make-out kiss! This wasn't Ed... This wasn't Ed at all. He wouldn't just come out and kiss her like that! He hated expressing his feelings! There was just no way he would do that. Especially now! The blonde alchemist gave her a questioning look. His eyes were filled with lust and desire... something she had never seen in them before. This was not Edward Elric. This was a typical teenage boy that made stupid mistakes. Not knowing what to do, the shocked mechanic took out her wrench and whacked him smack-dab in the head.<p>

"OW!" he cried. "REALLY? AGAIN WITH THE WRENCH?" The lust and desire had completely been erased from his eyes and facial expressions. For a moment, she thought he was back to his old self. "I just kissed you... It's no big deal..." That's what set her pissy switch knob to on.

"NO BIG DEAL?" She clocked him in the head again for emphasis. "YOU KISSED ME! YOU'RE MY FRIEND AND YOU KISSED ME! YOU'RE NOT ED! YOU'RE JUST AN IDIOTIC TEENAGER!" Edward stood up after the previous blow to his head and shot her a classic death glare.

"FINE!" Ed yelled, his hands clenched into tight fists. "MAYBE I'M NOT ED! I KEEP TELLING EVERYONE THAT BUT THEY WON'T LISTEN! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I'M HERE OR WHY I EVEN PUT UP WITH THIS!"

"BROTHER! WINRY!" a familiar voice called through the night. Alphonse stood at the top of the hill, waving over to the pair. "IT'S GETTING LATE!" he shouted again. "YOU TWO SHOULD COME INSIDE!"

Winry was about to apologize to Ed, but when she turned around, he wasn't there. The blonde alchemist was already over the hill and across the bridge. _He sure does run fast for a little guy,_ she thought. Then she realized that she should probably go after the shrimp before he does something stupid.

"Hey," Al said as he neared the mechanic. "Why did Ed run off like that?"

She shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter. Come on. We should follow him."

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><p>Edward kept running, despite the calls of his name fading in the distance. He didn't want to be around anyone right now. Everything was so confusing. Why had he kissed her? They were just talking and he... somehow lost control. Then she was yelling at him and he was yelling back at her and then he just ran. He couldn't bare to be around anyone anymore. The alchemist hated how everyone he had met since the homunculi always expected him to be something he wasn't. They wanted him to be Edward. But he was Ed, wasn't he? They all must want a different Ed. He had to admit though, that Alphonse was really the only one that was patient and truely understood his situation. Something about him felt brotherly.<p>

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><p>"ED!" Alphonse called through the night. He sighed in frustration. "This is so unlike him. Even for now. I wonder what set him off?" Winry just remained silent, not wanting to answer his question. He looked down at his childhood friend for a moment. "You go back to the house. Tell the major that Ed and I will be a bit late for supper, okay?" Not that it matters, but Al always stayed at the table at dinner even though he can't eat.<p>

Winry starred at him as if he were crazy. "But-"

"Don't worry," he said, cutting her off. "I'll find him by myself. He couldn't have gone far." It took a while, but the mechanic finally agreed and made her way back down the path to her house. Sighing, Alphonse began to continue his search of his ever-so troublesome brother. Finally, he could spot a figure sitting against a tree in the distance. Al approached his brother who sat alone on the ground. He put his hands on his metal hips. "Well there you are. You worried Winry and I sick."

Edward burried his face further into his knees. "Go away," he muttered.

"Brother, I know this is really stressful... but this is supposed to help you get your memory back. I don't care what anyone else says, I know you're the same Ed I grew up with and love very much." Edward looked up at his brother with something that looked along the lines of happiness and a tinge of fear.

"Everyone expects me to be someone I'm not," he said, his gaze not once faltering. "I remember little bits of before... well, you know. It's just really frustrating when I try and put them together. I feel all these feelings that I am not used to..."

"That's why we're here," Al said. "This is a long process, but we can get through it together." There was a long pause before Ed stood up from the ground and smiled lightly.

"Alright. I'm trusting you on this. Come on. Let's go back." He didn't want to see Winry, but he knew he had to do it sometime soon anyway. So he decided to suck it up and face whatever tool she might throw at his skull like a man. A sudden unknown force knocked him onto the ground. It was so fast that he didn't even see what it was. He tumbled a few times and heard a distant shriek from Alphonse. His brother called out to him, but Ed was still getting over the shock. The alchemist's legs felt like jello.

"Hey there pipsqueak," a cold voice said through the night. That immediantly caught Edward's attention and he was in a ready-to-fight position in less than two seconds. It was instinctive. Almost like his body had a mind of it's own. Before him stood an all too familiar looking pomtree-like teen.

The air went cold. The only warmth that Edward felt was the anger that blazed inside him. There was no fear. Not even an inch of doubt in his gut. The alchemist was tired of being jerked around by everyone, especially by the homunculi. His hands subconciously clapped together and slammed onto the ground. There was a crackle of alchemic energy, and with a few sparks, the ground beneathe his feet bunched together to form into a fist and rocketted towards the green homunculus.

Envy quickly dodged the attack with ease and grinned at the small alchemist a sadistic grin.

"Is that the best you can do chibi-chan?" he taunted. The sin leaped into the air, ready to pummel him when a suit of armor blocked his path, grabbed him by the foot, and chucked him across the field with great force.

Edward looked up at Alphonse, his _brother_, and smirked. He then realized that they were a team. All his feelings were not dreams, they were memories. Al was his true family, and he was ready to help defend him. And in turn, he knew Alphonse would do the same.

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><p>Winry was nearing her house when she heard a slight rumble in the distance. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a fist-like image form from the earth and almost hitting a spec that appeared to be a person. Winry's blue eyes widened and ran up the front steps of her house and swung open the door.<p>

"Major!" she called.

Armstrong and Granny were sitting at the kitchen table with a couple of steaming cups of coffee.

"What is it?" the large alchemist said through his mustache.

"I think Ed and Al are in trouble!" She pointed out the door at the scrambled ground and alchemic sparks. The major immediantly got out of his seat, tore off his shirt, sparkled a little, and then ran out the door.

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><p>They copied their same pattern, over and over again. Ed would attack Envy from the front while Alphonse had his back. They were easily beating the homunculus, but the sin never seemed to grow tired. Both he and Al could go at it forever. Ed was another story. He still felt secure with his true brother at his side.<p>

"I thought you were on our side Edward!" Envy yelled, somewhat teasingly. Edward managed to get the homunculus good under the jaw with his prosthetic fist. He was done playing games. He was ready to take every single one of the damned sins down.

That's when he felt something stab right through his abdonment.

The world went cold. His vision blurred as he caught a glimsp at his stomach. A sharp spear-like thing must have went straight through his back. Ed could hardly find the strength to stand. A distant cry was heard from his brother, and a scream from Winry. Then everything went black.

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><p><strong>I am so sorry it took so long to update! I was in the middle of a move so wi-fi access was kind of difficult to get a hold of. I will update more frequently now that I am all settled in again. Please don't forget to review and comment. Feel free to tell me your opinions, predictions, and ideas. I always love to hear them. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I love you guys! Thank you for all the support! Again, I'm really sorry about the wait.<strong>


	7. Waking Up to a New Lead

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! I'm very impressed with how many I am getting with so little chapters. So, as i promised, I'll be updating more frequently. Hope this wasn't too long of a wait. Don't hate me because of the wait. Here you go my ducklings! Enjoy! :D**

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><p>Everything was dark for god knows how long. Edward could hear distant screams of his brother and Winry and a faint chuckle from a woman. Then silence. Far away noises from rocks crumbling over each other. Another scream, but this time, full of anger and rage. The world was cold, as if all the life and happiness was sucked out of it. All he could think was, <em>I'm dying.<em>

_ This is the end. After all the horrible mistakes I've made in my past, was this Eaquivilant Exchange? Yup. It's the only answer. I was an aweful older brother... and a terrible son. I promised to protect my little brother. Instead I only screwed things up. I took away his body. His ability to feel and breathe. And to make things worse, I lost my memory being reckless. I rejected all the people I once called friends and family... even him. The one person that stuck by my side through everything,, I had betrayed, selfishly. Absolutely selfish. All I wanted was more knowledge of how to bend the rules of this world, no matter who got hurt. Yes. I deserve this. I deserve to die..._

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><p>He could see a light at the once never-ending tunnel of darkness. Ed tried to step towards it, but felt a prescense pulling him back. It was strong but comforting. He knew he had felt this prescense before. Edward felt the light calling to him. The pull forcing him to step away from it. He had no choice. He had to go back.<p>

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><p>Golden eyes opened to a blank, white room. His vision spun into focus. Before he could do anything, a few drops of a water-like substance falling onto his own cheek. They weren't from him though. Ed looked over to see Winry's blue eyes wide with happiness and shock.<p>

"E-Ed..?" she muttered behind a sob. Her arms were immediantly around him, squeezing the alchemist in a tight hug. Only when he whinced in pain did the mechanic release him. "I thought you were gone for good!" she cried, trying to stop her tears falling freely down her face. "Your heart stopped for a few seconds... but then... then you came back. I thought I was going to lose you, Ed." Another sob escaped her. "DON'T YOU EVER TRY TO LEAVE ME AGAIN!" she yelled.

All Edward could do was smile. There was truely no doubt that she and his brother was his home.

"I'm sorry," he said after a long pause. "I'm sorry if I worried you. I won't do it again."

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><p>It turns out, that Major Armstrong and Alphonse were able to fend off the homunculi. Afterward, Ed was immediantly taken to a hospital. His wounds were so critical that he had to be transported to the one in Central City. Edward had been unconcious for about three days. Those three days were complete torture for Al and Winry.<p>

Ed felt terrible about accepting death before he blacked out. How could he even think of leaving his little brother behind? What would Alphonse do without him? Could he really search for a way to get his body back knowing Edward, his once caring brother, was no longer at his side? Probably not. Both of the young alchemists knew very well that one could simply not live without the other. They were inseperable. And losing another family member would not cope well with either of them. The two brothers had lost enough to last a life time.

The colonel dropped in to check on his subordinate, only to get a pillow thrown at his face and a yell of, "GET OF HERE YOU BASTARD!" How typical of Edward. He never really changed. Even after a near death experience.

A few weeks went by. Winry, begrudgingly, went back to Risembool by the second week. Ed had told her that he would be fine, and that he would call her immediantly once he got out of the hospital... and Winry was going to make him keep that promise.

It was probably for the best that she left anyway. Things were getting far too dangerous around Central for her to be there. Ed didn't want another run in with the homunculi while she was around. Not to mention that, despite everything that had happened, things were still completely awkward between the two since Ed had kissed her.

Sometimes he regretted it. Most of the time he didn't... secretly. He wasn't ready to tell Alphonse. The thing that scared Edward the most was that he didn't know how his younger brother would react. Would he be angry at him for smooching their childhood friend? Shrug it off? Be happy for him? Tease him about it? Or would he be jelous?

He wouldn't know until he found out. But that could wait until later. What was important now, was him getting his strength back. He was ready to take on the homunculi and get some answers.

Why had they kept him alive when he lost his memory? Why would they lie about his past? Why had they attempted to kill him? And most importantly, why haven't they tried to kill him now?

A million questions buzzed through his skull. The young alchemist just simply couldn't wrap his head around the whole thing. None of the pieces fit.

Edward was about to give up on trying to think it out until he found an interesting columb in the newspaper.

The headlining read, "Scar Believed to Be Located in Liore". On the other side, it said, "Uprising in East Begins".

Were the homunculi after brilliant alchemist's this whole time? Did they just toy with him? Had he said something that gave them the answers they needed and had no use for him?

He didn't know. His first few days in the mansion was a blur. He vaguely remembered a woman with chestnut-like hair, who seemed oddly familiar, asking him questions. He scrambled his brain to what they were but found little to no avail. Had he just slipped something to them by accident?

Where had the Ed that was completely clueless to who he really was went? He had to find that Ed. Gain his memories. Know the deep secrets that were inbedded in the back of his head.

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><p>Two days later, the blonde alchemist was released from the hospital. Edward had informed Alphonse of his theory, and his younger brother eagerly agreed to follow him in his quest. There was no way he was letting go of Ed again. This time, things would end differently. They would get what they were looking for... and hopefully, a new lead or two on getting their bodies back.<p>

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><p><strong>See! I told you I would update more frequently! Well, here you go! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Don't forget to review in the link below and don't feel shy to PM me if you have any questions or comments. If so, I will work as quickly as possible to get back to you. You guys have been awesome, supporting me and everything! See ya next week!<strong>

**Love,  
>Lexi Elric<strong>


	8. Something Lurking in the Shadows

**Hm... Wish I got more than four more reviews last update. Oh well. The show must go on! I promised you guys that I would be updating more often and I am! So here is the next chapter.**

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><p>Sadly, Edward knew he had to face the colonel in order to get some time for leave. He couldn't tell him the real story or else the bastard would make them stay there in Central. It's not that Mustang just wanted to be protective of him or anything, he just wouldn't want him "embarrassing" the state any further.<p>

Approaching his office door, the blonde alchemist took a deep breath. He could already predict all the questions he was going to ask him. Deciding to get it over with, Ed slammed open the office door. He vaguely remembered himself doing that often. All the members of Mustang's team looked up from their paperwork, not expecting that door to slam open like it usually did four months ago.

Well now that Edward got his memories back, he could go back to the way things were before this whole mess happened. Everything would be normal. Almost normal.

Not looking at any of Roy's men, he walked towards the main office door... then slammed that one open as well. Mustang, unlike his other subordinates, did not look up from his work. He already knew very well who it was.

"Good afternoon fullmetal," he greeted, still not looking up from his paperwork. Ed was shocked. No yelling for almost breaking the hinges off of the door? Who was this man? And exactly what has he done with the real mustang? They normally yelled for a good five minutes before getting down to the issue at hand. This was all so strange.

"Uh... hey," Ed replied, a little uneasy. Finding a good stopping point, Roy finished his sentence and set his pen down.

"What do you want? I'm a bit busy right now." Edward then realized just how busy he must have been once he got a good look at his superior officer's face. Dark circles underlines his onyx eyes, his face a little clammy-looking. "Spit it out," Mustang ordered. Ed shook himself out of his stage.

Straightening his posture, the blonde alchemist finally said, "I wish to request for some time for leave." Roy yawned tiredly.

"Sure," he said, his tone completely mellow. "Okay. How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know quite yet, sir." There was a pause. Ed swore he saw something flash across his superior's face.

"Okay. Give me a call when you find out." Once again, his actions had utterly knocked Edward off of his gaurd. He **never** let him just leave without asking atleast twenty questions on where he was going or why. This was stranger than a snow storm in the summer.

Edward just stood there for a moment, a bead of sweat running down the side of his face. He swallowed hard and managed to say, "I'll make sure to do that. Thank you."

And with that, he left the office... without slamming the door shut.

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><p>Mustang stumbled into his small apartment, feeling completely drained of energy. He didn't even know if he could make it to his bed before passing out. Ever since Edward's little "incident", he's had mountains of paperwork piled all over his subordinates and himself.<p>

Something kept tugging at the back of his mind, almost like he was forgetting something. Something important. Vert important.

_Oh yeah,_ he thought, beginning to recall the early part of his day while getting dressed into his night wear. _I was called into the fuhrer's office._

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><p><em>"Good morning Mustang," Bradley greeted as Roy stepped inside the enormous workspace. He saluted firmly, his coffee beginning to finally kick in.<em>

_"And good morning to you, sir."_

_The room was darkened with thick velvet curtains, casting shadows across the room. It never seized to amaze Mustang how the fuhrer's office looked as big as his own apartment._

_"You're probably wondering why I summoned you here," the middle-aged man spoke up. Roy tensed, wondering if he knew about his plan for dominating all the female officers and creating a tiny mini-skirt army. "It's about the Elric brothers." Mustang let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding in._

_"What about them, sir?" he asked, now a bit curious._

_The fuhrer stood up from his desk and turned toward the covered window behind him. "I understand they've had some conflict involving the ones who claim theirselves as homunculi."_

_"Yes."_

_"Well, whatever you do, I want you to trust those boys."_

_This made Roy raise his eyebrows all the way up to his hairline. "What do you mean, sir?"_

_"Trust their judgement. They obviously know what's going on more than we do. Those boys are smart. They will know what to do when the time comes to take down these criminals."_

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><p>Mustang still didn't completely understand what the Fuhrer meant by that. Was he hiding something from him? Or was he just simply a good judge of character and trying to give the colonel some helpful advice for the future? He didn't know. Either of the options sounded promising. Something was up.<p>

If the homunculi wanted Edward and his brother dead, wouldn't they have tried again already? And why would the Fuhrer want him to just trust them? What did he mean by that? What did he want him to do exactly? None of the pieces fit. Nothing made sense. Were the homunculi just jerking them all around? He couldn't seem to quite wrap his head around it.

Too tired to think about, Mustang collapsed onto his bed, now ready for sleep. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

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><p><strong>Told you I would update more often! And under one week! Woo! *Raining confetti*. Just trying to give back to my loyal readers who have waited so long for updates lately.<strong>

**Yes, I know, they are not as long as the chapters used to be. But I will be updating frequently so I think that makes up for it. I'm counting on you guys for reviews and ideas. Please don't be shy to share them with me. If you have any questions or other comments you do not wish to put into a review, please PM me. I will get back to you as soon as possible!**

**Love you guys,  
><strong>**Lexi Elric**


	9. What Am I Gonna Do Now?

**Here's the next chapter!**

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><p>"How are you so sure that the homunculi are even involved with Scar?" his brother asked. Ed looked at Alphonse as if he were stupid.<p>

"In the article I read, it stated that there had been rumours that Scar was palnning on starting a revolt in Liore. And if there is an uprising in this country, the homunculi have to be involved. That's how the extermination in Ishval happened. They're trying to get that murdering bastard to create a philosipher's stone."

"Good point," Al agreed. "But is it safe for us to be involved? If Scar really is there and is planning on creating a philosipher's stone, won't the military be all over the place?"

"Not exactly," Ed replied. "In the article, it said that the military was having trouble entering the city. I could offer to go in there undercover and find out exactly what's going on. Not to mention that it will keep the state off of our backs. It's the perfect plan. Instead of two, we can kill three birds with one stone. We bring in Scar, stop him from making the philosipher's stone, and bring out the homunculi so we can get some answers."

Alphonse thought about this for a moment. "I guess you're right. We need to be careful though, or the same thing that happened last time will happen again."

Ed waved the thought away with his prosthetic hand. "Don't worry about it. This time, we know what we're up against."

"Brother, aren't you worried?"

"Hm? About what?"

"The colonel just letting you take off like that without asking any questions."

"It's probably all part of his scheme to get a promotion," Ed answered, resting his head on the palm of his hand and turned to look out the window of the train. For a long time, he just watched the land go by, planning what he was going to do first once they got to the town close to Liore.

No train tracks went there. Just like before, he and his brother will have to cross the blazing desert. _Wonderful_, he griped to himself.

The green of the land soon faded away as rocks and sand began to take it's place. They were nearing East City. This brought back memories of when he was just starting out in the military at the age of twelve. He was under Mustang's supervision back then. Ed vaguely recalled Roy sending him to different places so he'd get some run-down town or village under the military's control once again.

Ed mentally smiled. Everything was healing. His memories were coming back, and they were going to catch the homunculi.

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><p>Okay, so obviously, they couldn't charge right into Liore. Their welcome wouldn't be very pleasant. Especially since they over-threw their favorite profit. Edward vaguely remembered arguing with a girl by the name of Rose about how to move forward, and to not rely on the hope of miracles. Because they couldn't get into the town, Ed and Al decided to stay at an inn close to the dessert's end. That was a long time ago, yet it seemed like it wasn't even that long. Memory loss can do that to you.<p>

In the end, Ed and Al decided to settle down in a motel in the city next to it. The building was old and run down, but it had that home feel to it. The lobby smelled of freshly baked goods that reminded Edward of his mom's cooking as a child. He relished in the memory for a while before continuing his way to the front desk.

A lady with strawberry-like hair and freckles greeted him with a warm smile. "Welcome to the Homey Inn," she said cheerily.

_Figures_, he thought. "Room for two please," he said. She handed him the room key with a grin.

They would start on their journey tomorrow. Ed was just wondering how he would disguise Al into the town...

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><p><strong>Sorry guys! I'm really sorry it took so long! I've been so busy with school and I was also in a play so I was occupied with that. I'll update... whenever. Sorry again to all of you who have waited for me to update.<strong>

**-Lexi Elric**


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